Select Local Merchants

When Prem and Cheridy Mukherjee got married in 2001, they didn't know anything about creative wedding photography. Prem's interest in taking photos had been piqued during his travels in Sydney, Australia, but it wasn't until after he had met and married Cheridy that his interest flourished into a real talent. Cheridy soon picked up the camera herself, and together the husband-and-wife team became Arising Images, expertly capturing shots for weddings, engagement announcements, and family-portrait sessions. In 2009, with more experience under their belts, the couple wanted another shot at their wedding album. They once again donned white attire, along with a colorful pair of sneakers, and posed for artistic, playful shots that truly captured their joy?something they strive for in their own photography sessions.
Prem, who has shared his expertise at national conventions, passes along his camera-friendly knowledge to budding photographers. He spends the sessions educating students on the functions of their own cameras. Private lessons shower all the attention upon one participant, while a tag-along on a photo shoot or wedding allows students to view Prem and Cheridy in their professional environment.

At Vail Meadows Equestrian Center, experienced trainers employ a holistic approach to horseback riding and instruction to help riders to develop life skills and live healthfully. Its 25-acre farm abuts the Maumee Bay State Park bridle trails, allowing riders to explore tree-laden mazes in addition to open pastures. Ducks, goats, and pot-bellied pigs roam the landscape, peeking into the historic 1893 barn while students improve concentration and problem-solving skills through therapeutic sessions. In another barn, beginners bond with new four-legged friends over the western riding techniques they have just mastered. Programming also includes riding opportunities for veterans, field trips for classes of students, and weekend horse camps for teens and adolescents. During camp sessions, young visitors participate in farming- and nature-related learning adventures before retiring to a warm indoor bunk, preventing them from having to rely on starlight to read copies of The Iliad written in hieroglyphics.

Tan Pro USA has been compensating for the less-than-ideal latitudinal coordinates of Ohio since 1998. It was then that they opened their first tanning outpost furnished with 30 UV beds, and they have since expanded operations to 43 stores throughout the state. They stock each location with ample tanning units, rendering appointments an archaic formality equivalent to gifting a sheep to your defense lawyer. After customers stroll in, they can slide into an Ergoline 1100, which boasts four ultra-performance facial tanners and two high-pressure shoulder tanners. Staffers advise which lotions enhance traditional tanning results along with explaining the benefits of the UV-free VersaSpa spray-tan booths. Harnessing infrared heat, VersaSpa booths impart a glow to entire physiques or targeted trouble areas, such as the inside of the armpits.

Phantom Fireworks first burst onto the scene more than three decades ago. Today, the company lights up backyards of America from coast-to-coast with more than 1,200 permanent and temporary locations.
Much like its products, Phantom?s employees frequently take to the skies. They travel around the globe in search of the industry's latest ground and aerial displays before returning home with rockets, missiles, fountains, and aerial repeaters. From there, an extensive in-house testing program takes over, checking each item's safety before it?s sold to the public.
That testing program is just one of Phantom?s pillars of safety. The company also holds memberships with multiple pyrotechnics organizations, and it offers customers additional information about fireworks laws and history through its Fireworks University.

In 1906, Joseph Fleitz purchased a tract of land along Seaman Road. Though he immediately started to farm, it would be another 85 years before his great-grandson, Paul, planted the first pumpkin patch, officially christening Fleitz Pumpkin Farm. Since then, the family has built other attractions, and the wind raises a thrumming whisper from the stalks of a 5-acre corn maze capable of stumping even Ivy League?educated scarecrows. Tractors pull hay carts full of chattering riders, and other amenities include a free tricycle zone and an area to feed goats and chickens. During the fall, when the air grows crisp and cornucopias hang heavy on the trees, row upon row of sunset-hued pumpkins line the periphery of the farm. The scents of cinnamon drifts from a snack shack serving freshly made doughnuts and hot cider.

For 129 years, the farmhouse at Country Lane Tree Farm has looked out over acres of trees and crops as they bear fruit, change colors, and catch a light dusting of snow. The Bowlander family keeps the land bustling through the seasons by inviting families and school groups to come take part in farm activities. Craft barn events happen in the spring and summer, along with farm tours where children can see and interact with a variety of animals. Activities include, milking cows, holding chickens and ducks, and gazing profoundly into the deep eyes of Peaches the donkey. Animal feed is also included. During the fall, the Bowlanders make an enormous maze out of their cornfield, invite guests to pick pumpkins from their 10-acre patch, and enjoy a Haunted Hayride and the indoor Haunted "Carnevil" Barn.